Keyboardist Geoff Downes Talks 'Video Killed The Radio Star Prophecies,' Drama's Drama, Asia Supergroup & New YES Album

The Metal Voice recently interview Yes, Asia and The Buggles Keyboardist Geoff Downes. He spoke about his career in The Buggles, Asia and Yes. As well as the new Yes Album AURORA which will be released on June 12 , 2026 via Century Media

Full interview here

Excerpt

When asked when YES is planning on retiring

"I ask myself that sometimes. We're still doing maybe four or five shows a week you know and then we come off the road and then we go straight in the studio and start recording stuff. I think it's a way of life and I certainly don't think your age is necessary as long as you're healthy uh and fit and healthy then I don't think it's too much of a challenge to keep it going. "

When asked how he revolutionized the keyboard sound back in the early 80s

"I think we were pretty much ahead of the game in terms of what we were doing because the Buggles was in many ways a very prophetic band. The things that we were doing this whole thing about creating these keyboard orchestras, which was really my fortune. We weren't pretending to be a band or anything like that. We were just two guys experimenting in the studio, hence the name THE BUGGLES, which is effectively a spoof on The Beatles because we knew we'd never be a band. It was only two guys pretending to make all these sounds. Um, so the actual thing that came across was that it was a group effort, but in fact it was just Trevor and myself creating all these weird weird and wonderful sounds. So I really got into technology and I would get as much as I could. I wanted to make noises like strings and you know woodwinds and flutes and things like that but all created via um uh synthesizers. So uh that I think that was something that really appealed to me. "

When asked If he thought ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ (the song) if it still has meaning today with technology changing the social norms?

"Well that was the whole thing behind it because that had very futuristic lyrics and turned out to be very prophetic. When you take one of the lines from video killed the radio star, 'they took the credit for your second symphony rewritten by machine with new technology. You're thinking about AI now and you're thinking about uh that was that we wrote that song 50 years ago, this sort of this sort of stuff actually happens. We had a lot of fun making these predictions. I think that's the whole essence of the Buggles and I think that's one of the things that really captivated Chris (Squire) Steve (Howe) Alan (White) to us because we were going to bring something different to Yes."

When asked how they joined Yes on the Drama album

"For us it wasn't that strange that we joined because we were in the next rehearsal room. They were just a three-piece at that time rehearsing Chris Steven Alan. So, Chris came in one day and he said, have you guys got any songs? You know, any material? So, we said, well, we can probably knock up a couple of things. So he said, "Well, why don't you come in the studio with us and uh set your keyboard up and Trav you set a mic up and see what comes out of it." And that was really it. We just sort of morphed into Yes at that point. And uh it was uh it was great times. That album stands up as one of my favorite albums I have been involved in. Largely because it was a big turning point for me particularly being a keyboard player in this huge band you know I mean it's a sort of dream come true."

When asked about the split with Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman

"I think the band just got to a halt, they didn't get anywhere (musically). So I think they just disbanded at that point. I think Jon obviously went off to do stuff with Vangelis. Um yeah, Rick obviously carried on with his solo stuff. Uh so there were really the three of them holding the baby as it were. We fitted the bill. I mean, don't get me wrong, there was a certain amount of resentment from certain areas of the Yes fan base because they saw these two interlopers stepping into this the revered rock band that they've been following from the very beginning and, you know, 10 12 years later, uh, these these two pop guys come in and, uh, and start to shake up the, uh, shake up the foundations. Also I think Trevor's lyrics they were much more uh urban much more technological much more modern and I think that helped propel YES into the 80s for the later period of 90125. We weren't talking about rivers flowing and all that sort of stuff. We were talking about electricity running through pylons and that kind of thing. "

When asked if the Drama tour was too difficult for Trevor in terms of singing the Jon Anderson Material

" I think it was. I think it was tough cuz I think it did push him to the limit. But I think you know under the circumstances he (Trevor Horn) did a great job and uh obviously much easier to sing the Drama material but you know going to some of the more high pitched Yes stuff that Jon Anderson was so well known for was a challenge. We didn't actually transpose anything at all. I think he actually found a way of singing it and a way of delivering it. Uh, and as I've said before, there's a lot of underestimation, I think, for how important Chris Squire's vocals were with John Anderson. So, I think between Trevor and Chris, they managed to pull it off in terms of uh you know, because Chris was there cuz Chris was a very identifiable vocal part of Yes’ um stuff. '

When Yes first began sketching out ideas for what would become ‘Aurora’, the process was loose and exploratory. There was no preconceived concept at the start, just a collection of musical fragments that gradually began to find one another and take form. Among these early sketches was a piece titled “Aurora,” and it quickly became clear that the name carried certain gravity. It suggested light, emergence, and a sense of vastness, qualities that resonated deeply with the band. Jon Davison remembers how “the title immediately resonated with Steve Howe and sparked visual inspiration for artist Roger Dean, setting a conceptual tone that would guide the project.”

This early alignment, musical, visual, and thematic, became the foundation on which the project grew. Howe saw the album as an opportunity for the band to continue expanding outward, describing their creative direction as “something expansive and universal in scope.” It was their third release with InsideOut, following ‘The Quest’ and ‘Mirror to the Sky’, and the relationship with the label had become one of trust and freedom. Howe often spoke of it as “highly supportive and creatively liberating,” a sentiment Geoff Downes shared as the band settled into a period of deeper musical connection.

Work on ‘Aurora’ began almost as soon as the ‘Classic Tales of Yes’ tour ended in 2024. The idea of a new album surfaced quickly and with the label’s encouragement, the band had the time to develop material organically. Rather than gathering in a single studio for months, they embraced a modern workflow; ideas were born in home studios, shaped independently, and then woven together through constant collaboration. Downes and Howe often acted as the central creative axis, with Howe, as producer, serving as the point through which all ideas eventually flowed.

Some musical seeds had been planted years earlier. A few pieces dated back to the sessions for `The Quest`, including `Ariadne’, which finally found its completed form during the ‘Aurora’ sessions. This sense of continuity helped ease the transition into the creative process, giving the band a familiar foundation from which to explore new territory.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen held dedicated jam sessions, generating grooves, motifs, and rhythmic ideas that would later be folded into the album. Sherwood often describes the band as “consistently creative,” with new ideas emerging almost immediately after finishing the previous record. Schellen recalls the writing as “a continuous process, evolving alongside touring and gradually taking shape over the following year”.

As the music developed, it became clear that Yes were not attempting to recreate their past. Their legacy remained a guiding presence, but not a constraint. Howe often emphasised that “a piece only truly became “Yes music” once every member had contributed”, a reminder that the band’s identity has always been collective rather than individual. Some ideas were set aside, others reshaped or reinvented, but the goal remained constant: to create an album that felt dynamic, varied and true to the band’s spirit without leaning on nostalgia.

Howe’s production approach resembled assembling a mosaic — drawing on the inspired creative contributions of each member, directing the flow of ideas and drawing them all together into a composite whole, while encouraging and developing those ideas with the involvement of all of the writers with the ultimate goal of creating an album befitting of the stature and legacy of Yes . Downes saw the process as a continuation of the band’s long‑established musical DNA, saying that while the music must remain recognisably Yes, it should never imitate the past. Instead, it should evolve naturally from it.

Davison often drew inspiration from nature, spirituality, and philosophical reflection. The concept of ‘Aurora’, inspired by the Northern Lights, became a metaphor for both natural wonder and inner illumination. Yet the album also allowed room for lighter, more playful explorations, touching on erratic human behaviour and even modern themes like the friend or foe controversy of artificial intelligence.

Songwriting remained a collective effort. Some pieces emerged from collaborative jams, others arrived fully formed. ‘Countermovement’ grew through shared input, while ‘Watching the River Roll’ remained true to Sherwood`s original concept as a quiet, reflective moment that required little further shaping.

As the sessions progressed, a renewed sense of energy settled over the band. Davison, now deeply rooted in the group’s creative fabric, contributed with increasing confidence, a role shaped early on by encouragement from Chris Squire on first joining the band over a decade ago. Sherwood drew from a wide range of influences, aiming for “honesty and balance” in his writing. Howe focused on “atmosphere and identity”, ensuring that the album felt unified even as it explored diverse musical terrain.

When the band reflected on highlights, they tended to emphasise the album’s breadth rather than any single track. Howe gravitated toward ‘Turnaround Situation’; Downes admired the complexity of ‘Emotional Intelligence’, while Davison viewed each song as its own distinct entity. Sherwood praised ‘Countermovement’ as “a powerful piece, with layered complexity’, while Schellen pointed to the album’s contrasts from the energetic peaks to the calm resolution of its closing moments.

Across ‘Aurora’, each track carries its own character. Some echo the classic Yes approach, others push into new territory, but together they form a cohesive whole that honours the band’s heritage while embracing forward motion. With their 24th studio album, Yes demonstrate not just longevity, but a sustained curiosity, a desire to keep exploring, keep refining and keep discovering their capacity to create.

‘Aurora’ is not a return to past glories; it is a continuation of a journey that sees YES striving creatively forward.

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